Slip of the Tongue
by MalletGirlAkane
Summary: The usual argument goes awry after a slip of the tongue.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma, nor do I profit from this fanfic.

Author's Note: This chapter is completely tame but I've rated the fic M for future naughtiness. Don't expect anything too wild for a while though, I do love suspense. 6 I welcome comments, suggestions and criticism.

Slip of the Tongue

by MalletGirlAkane

"Macho chick!"

"Conceited jerk!"

"Sexless klutz!"

"Disgusting pervert!"

"Kawaii tomboy!"

"Ranma no... huh?"

Ranma paused, mouth hanging foolishly open where he had been about to deliver another scathing insult. He blinked at his fiancée a moment, train of thought (what little there was) completely derailed. He frowned at Akane, "I said you're a kawaiikune tomboy. What? You going deaf too?"

"No you didn't," Akane said, a wicked smile forming on her face, "You called me a _kawaii_ tomboy."

Ranma's eyes bulged. "What're you talkin' about?" he spluttered, "I'd have ta be blinder than Mousse to think _you_ are cute."

Given the option of teasing Ranma or getting offended and clobbering him, Akane would usually choose the latter. But, truth be told, it got boring after so long. It occurred to her that she had expended more anger in the last couple years since Ranma's arrival than most people did in their entire lives. Vaguely she wondered if she was beginning to run out. Shrugging off those thoughts she decided to play with her rapidly blushing fiancé a little. The grin did not leave her face and she said in a sing-song voice, "Ranma, do you really think I'm cute?"

Ranma snorted, "I'm not delusional."

Akane took a slow, swaying step closer to him, "Do you really think I'm pretty?"

"N-no!"

She stepped closer, only half an inch separated their two bodies. She raised her chin so that she could whisper directly into his ear, "Do you really think I'm _beautiful_?"

Akane waited for his adamant refusal. Maybe he would even fall all over himself trying to get away from her, that was always good for a laugh. He would probably manage to trip over a bucked of cold water in the process and...

It occurred to her that he was doing none of those things. In fact, Ranma was not doing much of anything other than standing completely still, rooted to the spot. She realized she could hear his heart beating frantically behind his red silk shirt. She leaned back a little and looked up into his eyes which were wide and blank. Tiny beads of perspiration dotted his forehead. _Uh oh_, she thought, _I think I broke him._

A warm tingle spread through her mind at the thought of exactly how she had elicited this response from him, but she smothered it. _Probably just frozen in horror at being this near me_, she told herself with disgust. Frowning, she waved her hand in front of his vacant eyes.

He blinked and immediately yelped, "Yes!"

Akane's brows drew down in confusion, "Yes, what?"

With much mental effort, Ranma pulled himself together. He stared down at the girl, aware of the warmth of her body close to his. Her large brown eyes were locked on him, puzzlement written plainly on her face. A sudden urge to kiss her welled up in him. Frantically he shoved it down and took a stumbling step backwards. "Uh... uh..."

He could practically see the cogs turning in her brain and soon her eyes lit with understanding. "Ranma," she said slowly, "Did you just say yes you think I'm beautiful?"

"Uh... uh..." He took another clumsy step away from her. He tried to deny it, but the words would not come. Thoughts of anything but the slight blush rising in her cheeks, the way her eyes softened hopefully, and the smell of her shampoo pushed everything else from his mind.

Her game forgotten, Akane searched Ranma's eyes. When he stepped away from her, she followed, maintaining their proximity. In a soft, gentle voice, she asked, "Did you... Ranma?"

The way she said his name, almost pleadingly, threatened to overwhelm his brain again. He tried to take another step back but found himself pressed against the dojo wall. They had been sparring when this had all began. What stupid comment had he said that had sparked the whole thing?

"...beautiful..." he breathed.

_No, no, no, wrong comment!_ his mind shouted at him. _And why did you say it out loud!_

She told herself he was playing with her, getting her back for what she had said earlier. She told herself he was a jerk who hated her and who she hated back. She told herself not to believe a word he said. Regardless, a brilliant smile lit her face.

Ranma softened. That smile, that was his weak spot. Maybe complimenting her once in a while was not so bad, if it got her to smile at him like that... as long as nobody was listening. At that thought, Ranma's eyes darted from Akane to the dojo door. It was empty. In fact the whole house was empty, he remembered. It was one of those extremely rare days when everyone had some chore to see to except the two of them.

"Really?"

Ranma refocused on Akane. Her voice still held that hesitant, not-quite-daring-to-believe tone. She stared up at him through her thick, blue bangs, leaning towards him minutely. She was so close... Again the desire to kiss her threatened to overwhelm him. Scrabbling for coherent thoughts he stammered, "Uh... yes?"

In a flash she was on him, pressing him tight against the wall in a rib-crushing hug. After a moment of shock, Ranma tentatively reached up and ran his fingers lightly through her short hair. That was his fatal mistake. At any other point he might have been able to pull back, laugh at her and pretend it was all a joke. But when he touched her and she loosened her grip on him, though kept her arms around his waist; when she looked up at him with those eyes of warm chocolate, moist with happy tears, he was a goner.

Unable to deny the urge for another moment, Ranma leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2, nor profit from this fanfiction.

Slip of the Tongue

by MalletGirlAkane

Two

Akane's mind locked, a single thought repeating in her head over and over. _Ranma is kissing me. Ranma is _kissing_ me. _Ranma_ is kissing _me... A wealth of sensations, emotions and considerations flooded through her being. Awash in these feelings she was confused, overwhelmed and afraid. Before the kiss had progressed past the lightest brushing of their lips, Akane reacted out of pure instinct. Instinct she had personally developed and honed to perfection.

Staring up at the large hole his body had made in the roof of the dojo, Akane found a new thought repeating in her head over and over. _Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap..._

Quickly exiting the dojo, she looked up. If she shaded her eyes against the bright midday sun she could just barely make out the diminishing speck that was her fiancé as he gained altitude. With a speedy mental calculation of his trajectory, Akane ran. Two blocks down and one over she found herself in the empty lot behind the Murasaki (1) residence which had been the grounds for many raging battles of late. There was still a charred scar in the earth near the fence from 'the cucumber incident.'

Akane glanced around herself nervously, but the lot seemed completely abandoned. Of course that did not mean that every random loon within a five mile radius was not on their way to there right at that moment- after all Ranma attracted them like Happosai to Victoria's Secret, but for the moment she was safe. With a sigh of relief, Akane leaned against one of the brick walls bordering the lot and waited.

Approximately eight minutes later, Ranma reentered the Earth's atmosphere and came crashing down, creating a small crater upon impact.

Akane knelt over the unconscious form of her fiancé. Gently she tugged him out of the Ranma-shaped hole he occupied and turned him face-up. She winced at his visage, face swollen with large Xs for eyes and apparently having a few teeth knocked out. Of course he was Ranma and after a few minutes he reverted to his normal, handsome appearance, much to the girl's relief.

She stared down at him. He looked so peaceful, his silky black hair softening the angles of his face and his bangs falling nearly to his closed eyes. Without thinking, Akane reached forward and brushed a strand of hair from his face, her finger lingering just over his temple. At that moment a pair of blue-gray eyes fluttered open.

Those blue-gray eyes locked on hers, she searched them but could not read the emotion they contained. "Um... um..." Akane said, feeling a sudden rush of sympathy for Ranma earlier that day. Realizing that she still had her finger pressed lightly against his face she whipped her hands behind her back. She thought her whole head must be glowing red from embarrassment.

Slowly, Ranma blinked once and sat up. His head tilted this way and that before he finally turned to Akane and asked, "What just happened?"

_Oh no!_ Akane thought desperately, _I've given him amnesia! Traumatic brain damage! What will I do?_

Suddenly he pounded his fist into his palm as recollection hit. "Oh yeah! You were actin' all cute and I kissed ya." His eyes narrowed, "And then ya hit me."

_Oh no!_ Akane thought desperately, _I didn't give him amnesia! No traumatic brain damage! What will I do? ...cute?_

"Um... um..." she stammered.

Ranma sighed and pulled himself sorely to his feet. He seemed to be taking this awfully well, Akane thought. He took his time brushing dirt and the occasional earthworm from himself before turning to her, a slight blush on his cheeks. "Sorry about that," he said, "I guess I deserved to be hit, huh? Don't worry though, it won't happen again. I'll tell Pop and Mr. Tendo as soon as they get home. I guess I owe ya that much."

Akane looked up at him, completely nonplussed. "Wait... what?" she said.

Ranma sighed, she could not make this easy, could she? Scratching the back of his head and refusing to meet her eyes, he replied, "I'm sorry I... uh... k-k-ki... did that. I don't know what came over me. Anyway, I'm gonna tell our folks the engagement's off so ya won't have to worry about it again."

"I won't?" she asked in a small voice.

"Nope!" he answered. He forced himself to grin at her and speak cheerfully. His heart was not shattered into a million tiny pieces, no sireebob. That annoying saying, 'You don't know what you've got until it's gone,' wound around his brain, squeezing painfully. It would take her outright rejection for him to realize how much he wanted her acceptance- wouldn't it?

A large, callused hand passed in front of her eyes and, numbly, Akane took it and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. His easy dismissal of their betrothal cut her to the core. It could not really be over, could it? In an anxious effort to salvage things, she tightly held onto his hand and looked at him; really looked at her fiancé.

Ranma was grinning at her cheekily but beyond that... The muscles in his neck were taut. His hand in her grip was cold and clammy. His smile was just a bit too wide. His eyes were distant and held a misty sheen.

Akane did not think she had ever seen him look better.

There was hope! She could fix things, she had one last chance. Summoning all of her courage she freed her hand from his and reached up to gently touch the corner of his jaw. Quietly she said, "This is where I hit you... right, Ranma?"

Confused, he nodded.

Trying and failing to force down a blush, Akane said, "I'm sorry I did that." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to the spot, lingering for a long moment. His skin was warm and tasted ever so slightly of the dirt he had just been face down in. At last she drew back, just a hair, and breathed against his skin, "So sorry..."

* * *

(1) I have no idea whether this is actually a Japanese family name, but it amused me to call them the Purple family. No, I have no idea who they are. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2, nor profit from this fanfiction.

Slip of the Tongue

by MalletGirlAkane

Three

Ranma and Akane stared at each other awkwardly. In fact, they had been staring at each other awkwardly and in resounding silence for a good fifteen minutes. Both of them wondered vaguely whether their blushes had been permanently burned onto their faces by this point but every time they started to fade a flashback from the past hour would rear up and they would begin to glow again.

At last Ranma broke the silence. "Well now I'm just confused," he said.

Akane broke the staring match, suddenly finding her shoes very interesting.

"I mean," he continued, "First ya start actin' all nice on me. Then I... uh... you know..." Oddly enough, Ranma discovered that his shoes were worthy of some observation as well. Clearing his throat nervously, but not raising his head, he continued, "Then ya _hit_ me-"

"I said I was sorry!" Akane interrupted, raising her eyes to him.

"Then... ya kissed me?" He raised his eyes to meet hers. A pair of blue-gray eyes locked onto a pair of light brown. Each searched for answers but came up only finding questions. "Didja not want me ta kiss ya?" Ranma asked in a hurt tone.

He had to strain to hear her soft response, "I wanted you to."

"Well then why-?" A look of terror washed over Ranma's face, leaving him pale and wide-eyed. "Was it... I mean, did I do it... wrong?"

Akane almost smiled at the look on his face. "Actually," she admitted, "I kind of... freaked out... before I really had a chance to tell. Not that I would have anything to compare it to."

Twelve minutes of awkward staring and resounding silence later Akane growled, "That was an invitation, Baka."

Ranma did not need to be told twice, once yes- but not twice.

Hesitantly, he reached to her and cupped her cheek in his hand. He would have marveled at how small she seemed, how fragile and lovely, how she stared at him with longing in her eyes. He would have marveled at all of this had not his brain been frozen in abject terror.

He was going to kiss Akane. She wanted him to kiss her. He had to do this right! It was not fair, he had never done this before! Ok, so he had done it once but that had ended... painfully. How would he know if he was doing it right? How would he know if she was enjoying it? Oh man, what if he broke her or something? She was just so delicate...

It was his stubborn pride that saved him. _Damn it_, Ranma thought to himself, _if I don't do this now I'll never hear the end of it!_

Resolutely he tilted her face up and leaned in to her. Slowly. So slowly.

_What the heck is taking him so long!_ Akane muttered mentally.

Deciding that he really was hopeless after all, she took matters into her own hands and leaned in to him as well. Slowly. So slowly.

After about six minutes of inching their faces together, Ranma peeked open one eye to check on their progress. Almost there! Bracing himself, Ranma leapt the last mighty chasm of perhaps 5 millimeters. With a soft insistency their lips at last met...

Somewhere nearby a bicycle chimed.

Two startled people jumped, knocking their heads together painfully. Hearts beating a mile a minute, Ranma and Akane shoved away from each other. Each ignored the throbbing in their skulls and the raging frustration just about everywhere else in their bodies. Both tensed, eyes darting anxiously towards the entrance to the abandoned lot. Ranma moved minutely to block Akane. The bell chimed again.

A moment later a child of perhaps four or five pedaled by on a tricycle, merrily chiming his bell.

When the couple finally managed to pick themselves up off of the hard dirt ground, Ranma moaned, "Oh man, that was just wrong!"

Akane nodded her agreement, internally raging that Shampoo could ruin her time with Ranma without even being there. A small pout formed on her lips. She glanced over at her betrothed, wondering what her chances were of going for a third (or was it fourth?) kiss in one day. She was surprised to see him staring at her with a serious expression on his face which made her heart flutter against her ribcage.

"Akane," he said, "We can't... I mean... we shouldn't do this. Not until I've figured out some way ta get rid of the others. If they thought... well, they can be downright scary- ya know?"

"Does this..." Akane paused, hardly daring to ask the question, "Does this mean you've chosen me?"

Ranma snorted and looked away from her, his cheeks reddening once again. "You've always been the only choice, ya know that."

"I have?"

"Well sure, you don't think I'd actually marry Shampoo do ya?" He crossed his arms and shot a grouchy look in the direction of the fading bell.

A delighted thrill ran up her spine, but she had to press on, "What about Ukyo?"

Ranma shook his head, "I like Ukyo, but I could never marry her. It'd be like marryin' my sister!" He considered a moment, "No, it'd be more like marryin' my brother! I mean, most of the time I knew her I thought she was a guy."

Akane could not hide her smile. Giddily she asked, "And Kodachi?"

The look on Ranma's face was all the answer she needed.

Akane closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself, reveling in what he had just told her. It was a long way from a proclamation of his undying love, but it was a heck of a lot nicer than being insulted again. He had chosen her. She was his one, true fiancée. She looked over at him to find him staring at her, an anxious expression on his face.

For once, Akane knew exactly what Ranma was thinking. With a reassuring smile she shyly reached out and touched his hand. "I'm glad," she whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 nor profit from this fanfiction.

Slip of the Tongue

by MalletGirlAkane

Four

Ranma and Akane sat at the table, silently eating the supper Kasumi had prepared for them prior to her absence. Ranma had been immensely grateful for her consideration but Akane had not really seen the point. She would have been glad to have prepared dinner for the two of them, after all.

They had decided that the best thing for them to do was work together to solve the fiancée problem and save any... explorations of their newfound feelings for each other until it was safe to do so in a relatively public manner. Both had pretended that they had no problems with this arrangement while secretly shooting wistful glances at one another's back.

As Akane daintily at her meal, Ranma had long since finished his, she considered all of the incredible changes that had occurred in such a short period of time. She felt a hot tingle in the pit of her stomach thinking that Ranma had kissed her, not once but twice. This was inevitably replaced by a cold disappointment that both kisses had been cut distressingly short. Then that feeling was replaced by a glorious glow which seemed to start in the center of her chest and radiate to out to her fingertips and toes when she remembered that it did not matter, she would have plenty of time to kiss Ranma because he had chosen her. Thoughts of kissing Ranma would cause the hot tingles to return to the pit of her stomach and the whole cycle would begin again.

Throughout this emotional rollercoaster ride, she tried very, very hard to keep her eyes off of Ranma. Since his admission of his feelings for her (or lack of feelings for her rivals, at least), he had seemed to change before her eyes. He suddenly became handsomer, more manly, and his quirks, which normally drove her nuts, had become endearing. She gave it a week before she was back to clobbering him over the head, but in the meantime she was rather enjoying it. Regardless, it took a good deal of willpower to keep her eyes off of him.

It certainly did not help that _he_ had been staring at _her_ since they had arrived home.

Attempting to lighten the weight of his eyes on her, Akane set down her chopsticks and asked, "So... Do you have any plans to get rid of them?"

Ranma's cheek twitched, just below his right eye. Guiltily, he replied, "I was kind of hopin' you would."

"Well, whatever you do, don't constantly insult them and put them down!" she laughed.

The dark-haired martial artist gave her a puzzled look, "Why?"

_Because they might fall in love with you_, Akane thought. She just barely managed to snap her teeth shut before the comment slipped past her lips. She coughed and waved her hand airily, "Never mind."

Ranma's confused look did not fade so she quickly returned to the subject at hand. "I don't know, Ranma, but I'm sure we'll work something out. Why don't you just concentrate on Ukyo and I'll work on Shampoo, ok? But... don't do anything without talking about it with me first." She may be... willing to marry him, but that did not mean she trusted him not to make things worse.

The smile of pure gratitude that Ranma gave her melted her heart. She found herself appreciating the curve of his lips in a whole new way. _No! Bad Akane! _she berated herself, _Not until the others are... aw, look at that cute dimple... Bad!_

Desperate to get her suddenly disobedient mind off of her suddenly highly attractive fiancé, Akane jumped to her feet and took their dishes to the kitchen. She took her time cleaning them and putting them away. When she returned to the living room she found that Ranma had turned on the television to an old kung-fu movie.

From the moment she entered the room he stopped watching the show in favor of watching her. Again. Intent on ignoring how intensely he was looking at her, Akane tried to watch the movie.

It was, unsurprisingly, hopeless.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Ranma's brows were drawn down and the corner of his mouth was twitching toward a little frown. Suddenly nervous, she turned to him. "What?"

He answered without hesitation, "I wanna do it right."

"D-do what?" she stammered.

"Kiss you," he replied, firmly.

Squelching the lovely, warm feeling that threatened to overwhelm her at his words, Akane said, "I thought we agreed to wait?"

Ranma frowned and Akane could clearly see pride warring with desire on his face. _Desire for... me?_

"It's just one kiss," he said, "We _deserve_ that much. And anyway, no one'll see us. What can one little kiss hurt?"

Akane felt a pang of foreboding at these ominous words but was too eager to be convinced to argue. Suppressing a little shiver of anticipation, she nodded.

Ranma moved over to where she sat on the floor and crouched before her. His eyes had darkened with seriousness again. In a low voice he told her, "But we have ta agree that the other ones don't count. This is gonna be our first kiss, ok?"

Suddenly unable to find her voice, she simply nodded again.

His eyes were cold, blue steel. Akane realized that he looked more as if he were headed into battle than preparing to kiss his fiancée. At the same time, she could not deny the need behind his hard expression. Taking both of her hands in his own, he drew her to her feet.

With no hesitation beyond a small, nervous swallow, his arms were around her, at the small of her back and behind her shoulders. Akane felt her breath leave her and her pulse quicken as he drew her body to his own. He sent her a silent plea and, obligingly, she allowed her eyes to drift closed. There was no long wait, this time, just a slightly timid warmth on her lips.

It was a very chaste and modest kiss. Akane was certain that it was. Why, then, was her heart crashing in her chest, pouring molten lava through her veins? Why was his hand sliding from her shoulder to tangle in her short hair? Why were her own hands clutching at his silk Chinese shirt like a lifeline in a storm? Why could she feel herself falling, floating, only supported by his strong, sure arms?

When at last they reluctantly broke the kiss, they stayed there, breathing heavily and staring at each other with wide, amazed eyes. Both of them knew that Ranma had been wrong. With 'one little kiss' they had both become hopelessly addicted.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 nor profit from this fanfiction.

Slip of the Tongue

by MalletGirlAkane

Five

Anxiety wracked Akane's petite form. She twisted this way and that on her bed, staring up at the darkened ceiling. Sleep utterly escaped her. In an attempt to get comfortable, she rolled over and punched her pillow. Unfortunately she overdid it and feathers exploded up into her face.

Coughing, sneezing, and trying to keep from crying with frustration, Akane slipped from her bed to sit on the floor. She drew her knees up to her chest and lay her aching head against them. Idly picking stray feathers from her pink pajamas, a heavy sigh escaped her lips. The events of the day played over and over in her head.

That incredible kiss- their first kiss, she reminded herself- was swiftly followed by another and another. Nearly a year of repressed desire had overwhelmed the pair, drowning in each other's kisses. Who knows what would have happened if someone had not come home? Thankfully it was Kasumi, who called her presence loudly through the house before entering and so was saved of finding them in a... compromising position.

As it was, when the mild-mannered eldest Tendo daughter came into the living room she found both Ranma and Akane red-faced and breathing heavily, standing oddly close together. Thinking fast, Akane had screamed, "Ranma you are such a _jerk_!" at the top of her lungs and delivered a mighty upper-cut to his chin.

Kasumi had looked down at the unconscious young man and exclaimed softly, "Oh my! Akane, thank you so much!"

Akane's responding stupefied expression had prompted Kasumi to explain, "Obviously you're going easier on him. I _do_ appreciate not having to patch yet another hole in the ceiling."

The blue-haired girl had glanced down at her fiancé and a wave of mingled embarrassment and passion had washed over her at the memory of their previous activities. Realizing that there was no way she would be able to stay in the same room as Ranma without lighting up like a campfire (with blushes _of course)_, Akane had claimed an early night and dashed upstairs to her room.

And there she remained, completely unable to sleep or concentrate on anything. She chewed on her lower lip and forced herself to stop merely reliving the day and think about it rationally. Pleasant as it all had been, a shiver danced up Akane's spine reminding her exactly _how_ pleasant it had been, she still did not know how Ranma felt about her. She had always considered herself to have fairly high self-esteem but after so much verbal abuse from him, she could not really conceive of Ranma actually liking her.

Sure, he might be willing to marry her, but look at his alternatives! What if those deep, wonderful kisses had been fueled only by raging male hormones? Akane's hands clenched, tears forming in her eyes at the thought.

She loved him. After today she could not lie to herself anymore. Furiously brushing away her tears she wondered whether it would hurt worse to have Ranma marry someone else or to have him married to her, knowing that he could never love her. Choking back a sob, Akane wished P-Chan were not lost again. Talking to her adorable pet always helped, even if he reacted in such a strangely negative way at the mere mention of Ranma's name.

With an aching heart, Akane decided that she had to settle this, once and for all. She dragged herself to her feet and stumbled out of her bedroom and down the hallway to the room Ranma shared with his father. Not wanting to wake Genma, Akane quietly slipped the door open and knelt down next to Ranma's futon.

Ranma was sleeping peacefully, much to Akane's annoyance. One arm clutched at his blanket tightly (Genma had a tendency to steal it in the middle of the night) and the other was curled up next to his face, which was graced by a small, satisfied smile. He looked so cute like that that Akane felt her annoyance melt instantly to be replaced by profound sadness at what she was about to do.

With a resigned sigh, she reached out and gently shook his shoulder and whispered his name. After a moment, Ranma's eyes fluttered open. As the world slowly gained focus, he found Akane kneeling over him in the dark room, her face close to his, and whispering for him to wake up in a low voice. Mind still fuzzy from sleep, Ranma reacted automatically; his hand reached up to cup her cheek and he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the tip of her cute little nose.

The girl jumped back as if burned and Ranma's thoughts snapped into cohesion. He raised his arms protectively in front of his face and yelped, "Don't hit me!" Memories flooded back to him and he blinked and lowered his arms, "Oh yeah, I thought that was ok now...?"

Akane hissed and put her finger to her lips, shooting a significant glance at the sleeping form of Genma-Panda. Standing, Ranma rolled his eyes, "Don't worry about him. Ain't nothin' wakes him up." To demonstrate his point, Ranma kicked his father in the large, furry side. The panda grunted and rolled over, snoring on.

With a satisfied smirk, Ranma turned back to the girl, "Didja need somethin'?"

"I just wanted to... talk."

Reminding himself that it was silly to be disappointed that she had said 'talk' and not 'make out', Ranma easily scooped Akane into his arms and was out the window and onto the roof before she could even manage a startled squeak. Carefully setting her on her feet, he plopped on the tiles next to her. Ranma was in a great mood, reliving this most interesting day with relish as his eyes roamed over Akane's delightful form. Grinning at his fiancée, he said, "Talk about what?"

She could not look at him, she could not look into his eyes or she knew she would never be able to say what needed saying. Had she stolen a glance she might have noticed the clear affection in his gaze, but she restrained herself. _No use beating around the bush_, her brain told her. She attempted to force her voice into some semblance of normalcy but it still came out numb and cold to her ears, "Ranma, I can't marry you."

* * *

Author's Note:

You might notice that I changed the rating on this story from M to T. There were two reasons for this. First, the rating system on is too hopelessly vague for my tastes. As such I plan to write the story exactly as I had intended but post anything 'questionable' on my journal. Second, what can I say? I'd like more readers.

I probably should have said this from the beginning but this story is really just for fun for me. I'm basically writing it straight off the cuff with no real planning. As such, at the moment it's writing very quickly. I can't guarantee it will continue like this. I CAN guarantee that my desire to continue is proportionate to the number of reviews I receive (positive and negative), but then I do hate to seem desperate. >)


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ nor profit from this fanfiction.

Slip of the Tongue

by MalletGirlAkane

Six

Ranma's mind scrabbled around and around Akane's statement, searching for some semblance of meaning. _Ranma, I can't marry you_. The words were clear enough and yet they made no sense. Surely she could not mean what it sounded like. They had finally begun to work things out, they could not fall apart this soon.

Plaintively he repeated, "Can't marry me?"

The grin remained on Ranma's face but now it appeared strained and out of place. Not that Akane noticed, as she was still unable to meet his eye. The girl hunched her shoulders and crossed her arms, withdrawing in on herself. Her insecurity and feelings of inadequacy displayed themselves in her body language as she tried to make herself appear as small as possible. She opened her mouth to answer, but choked on the words and settled for a minute nod of the head, barely visible in the pale light of the moon.

Ranma watched his fiancee, searching for some explanation. His eyes lit up as inspiration struck. "Akane, you didn't eat anything funny since we... uh... talked, didja?"

Akane's head snapped up, though she did not turn to face him. Obviously perplexed, she asked, "What?"

Congratulating himself on recognizing the problem so quickly for once, Ranma replied, "Ya know... Ramen, okanomiyaki, anything served with a black rose as a garnish?"

Her shoulders shook in little spurts, whether from laughter or tears he could not decide. Brushing her hair from her face she answered, "Ranma, I have not eaten anything since dinner. I haven't seen anyone since Kasumi came home." Her voice faltered for a moment but she pressed on, "I'm flattered that you choose me above the others but I, Akane Tendo, with no influence from anyone else, am telling you that it cannot be."

Crushing pain gripped Ranma's heart, far more than he would have ever imagined possible at her words. Unable to deal with the feelings he resorted to one he was much more familiar with. Leaping to his feet he angrily shouted at her, "I thought ya said you were glad!"

Akane winced and whispered, "Ranma, please. Your father may be able to sleep through anything but there are other people in this household who do not. Nabiki? My father?"

Slicing his hand through the air in a violent gesture of dismissal he replied, "It don't matter anymore, does it? Don't change the subject, Akane. Why'd ya _lie_ to me?"

She was slightly taken aback at the vehemence in his voice and the accusation caused her ire prickle as well. Restraining herself she replied in a soft, even voice, "I didn't lie... I was glad."

"So what? I ain't good enough for an uncute tomboy?"

The insult stung now more than ever and Akane spun to face him, angry tears forming, "You really are an idiot, Ranma! Do you really think, even for a second, that I could feel that way? After all, you're the _great_ Saotome Ranma and I'm just an ugly, clumsy, violent, _worthless_ tomboy! I can't marry you because I know you hate me!" By the end of her tirade the words were coming in gasping sobs.

"_I'm_ an idiot? _I'm_ an idiot! Who's the idiot when ya can't even see that I-!" Ranma froze, the words dying on his mouth. He stared at her, half in wide-eyed shock and half in suspicion that she had tricked him into his near-confession. From the matching look of wide-eyed shock on her face he was grudgingly forced to rule out feminine cunning.

"You what, Ranma?"

"I... I, uh... I don't _hate _ya, Dummy."

For the first time that night, Akane looked Ranma in the eyes. He never knew what she saw there, whether she grasped then the entirety of his feelings for her or whether she found only the contradiction to her fears. Perhaps they were the same thing. Whatever it was, it was enough.

Her smile, his weakness, bubbled to the surface. Breaking through the clouds like the sun after a rainstorm. Stepping close to her he tenderly reached over ran his fingers through her hair. Unable to help herself, Akane leaned her head into his warm touch.

Ranma's eyes widened and he chuckled. Akane's eyes reflected puzzlement until he slowly moved his hand from her hair to just before her eyes. Clasped between his fingers was a single, white feather. With an affectionate grin, one he was _sure_ she saw this time, he said, "Kawaiikune."

To which she replied, "Baka."

Like two pieces of one whole, they found themselves drawn irresistibly together. His arms wrapped around her waist, her around his neck. They paused, faces mere inches apart, satisfied to simply breath each other's air. When at last he could not take the tension for another moment, Ranma darted forward, intent on stealing her lips.

Before he had the chance a window crashed open below them and the cranky voice of the middle Tendo daughter shouted, "Akane? Did you kill him yet or are you two going to deny me _more_ beauty sleep?"

* * *

Author's Note:

Obviously TheFinal Goodbye has left a deeper impression on me than I had thought. The angst, the _angst!_ I promise the next chapter will be fluffier.


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